The present invention relates generally to a timepiece powered by an electric power source formed by a battery and comprising in particular connecting means allowing electric access to electric and/or electronic components housed inside said timepiece.
During the manufacturing process of a timepiece of the electric or electromechanical type, it is common for operating tests to be performed on the assembled electric or electronic components. These test are commonly repeated at different stages of manufacture of the timepiece. During this manufacturing process, it is generally easy to test these components because they are either accessible directly, or via connection terminals provided specifically for this purpose on the electronic module of the timepiece. In addition to these tests, various adjustments of the timepiece functions are also made, such as for example adjustment of the time, the position of the hands or any other time-related or non time-related function of the timepiece.
One problem lies in the fact that, at a final stage of manufacture of the timepiece, electric access to the various components which are housed therein is greatly reduced. During a subsequent inspection of the timepiece, for example by an after-sales service, electric access to the components often requires the timepiece to be dismantled. Typically, this electric access to the components is made by removing the back cover of the timepiece case. It will be understood that these manipulations are tedious and make subsequent inspections of the timepiece long and difficult. Dismantling the timepiece case is no longer possible in all cases, for example when the middle part and the back cover of the case are made in a single piece and the crystal is welded or bonded onto the middle part.
Solutions which do not require the timepiece to be dismantled in order to have electric access to the components housed therein are known. Swiss Patent No 664 868 in the name of EM Microelectronic-Marin SA discloses for example a device allowing a non-volatile memory arranged inside a timepiece case to be programmed. According to this patent, such programming is achieved via battery connecting tongues which are advantageously disposed inside a battery compartment formed by a housing arranged inside the case, this housing being commonly closed by a closing mechanism including a removable cover.
This solution has the advantage of requiring practically no dismantling of the timepiece in order to access the components, except for dismantling the removable cover of the battery compartment. This solution is also advantageous in the sense that the sealing of the timepiece case is not compromised, such sealing being normally guaranteed once the closing mechanism is set back in place again.
Nonetheless, one drawback of the solution disclosed in the aforementioned Swiss Patent No. 664 868 lies in the fact that the possibility of electric access to the electric or electronic components of the timepiece is limited by the reduced number of connection terminals available, namely the two battery connecting tongues. Although it is possible to provide the timepiece with specific means allowing a signal applied across the connecting tongues of the battery to be interpreted, these interpreting means quickly become complex, in particular when the tests or adjustments which one wishes to perform are numerous.
Another drawback of the solution disclosed in the aforementioned Swiss Patent No. 664 868 lies in the fact that it is necessary to remove the battery from its housing in order to access the battery connecting tongues. Although this fact is not in itself a problem when one wishes to programme a non-volatile memory, as is the case in Swiss Patent No. 664 868, this memory preserving stored data even when the power supply is interrupted, the same is not true when one wishes to adjust the time, for example, such an adjustment being itself volatile. The timepiece of the aforementioned patent thus necessarily requires the use of retention means, such as a buffer capacitor, to keep information of a volatile nature in the memory.
An object of the present invention is to propose a timepiece provided with means allowing easy electric access to the electric or electronic components of the timepiece, these access means not compromising the sealing of the timepiece.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a timepiece including such electric access means which require neither any substantial dismantling of the timepiece nor complicated handling by the operator.
Another object of the present invention is to propose a timepiece which does not require the battery to be removed in order to allow electric access to the electric or electronic components of the timepiece.
The present invention thus concerns a timepiece the features of which are listed in claim 1.
Advantageous embodiments form the subject of the dependent claims.
More generally, the present invention also concerns an electronic module intended to be mounted in an electronic or electromechanical device the features of which are listed in claim 8.
The solution proposed by the present invention thus allows quick and easy electric access to the electric and/or electronic components of the timepiece because the connecting means allowing electric access to these components open out inside the battery housing, the access being simply made after the removable cover of the battery compartment has been removed. The sealing of the timepiece is thus not comprised by the arrangement of the access means, such sealing being assured by the closing mechanism of the battery compartment.
The solution according to the invention advantageously allows a test or adjustment of the timepiece components to be effected at a final manufacturing stage of the timepiece or during a subsequent check by an after-sales service for example. Substantial tests of the components and subsequent adjustments to the timepiece functions can thus be effected without it being necessary to dismantle the timepiece significantly.
The solution according to the invention also advantageously allows data to be entered, extracted from or exchanged with the timepiece, for example in order to program certain of the timepiece functions.
Furthermore, because the access means include a plurality of connection terminals arranged at the periphery of the battery, access to the electric and/or electronic components does not require the battery to be removed. It is thus not necessary to provide the timepiece with retention means, such as a buffer capacitor, to preserve volatile data when the battery is set in place.